A Hoppy Easter!

Saturday we were greeted by a surprise visit from the Easter Bunny! Mary-Claire loved it, and I think she thought it was a big puppy dog - she kept patting it. A wonderful surprise from friends that we will appreciate for years!

The Easter Bunny snuck in again and left the little one with a few Easter treats. She loved "shaking" the eggs to see if there was something inside.

We went to Easter Mass, which was followed by an egg hunt, however Dad supervised and didn't want her to mess up her outfit in the wet muck. Good call by Dad, I think. I think she had fun watching the other kids, though.

We followed that with Easter brunch. It was a beautiful display, and again, we saw the Easter bunny.

Mary-Claire had a fancy lunch, and was mostly well-behaved, but then needed to run and play, so off to the croquet court she went.

She tried to make friends with the older girls, but they can be a little "cliquey."

Then back inside to play with the bunny ears

And finally home to dump all the eggs

It was a very Hoppy, Happy Easter!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

Fourth of July in "Pleasantville"

We are lucky to live in a small town where folks can leave their chairs and blankets in the park in the morning to save their "spot" and they're still there in the evening

Beer, brats & hamburgers from the volunteer fire department

The municipal band playing the "Sousa" concert

Kids running everywhere without parents being overprotective

Daddy and baby

Otherwise known as 

And her first Fourth of July

Greetings from Pleasantville!

The Real Housewife of Sheboygan County

What's in Your Stocking?

I was thinking about stockings today during a last minute run to Target.  It's been quite a few years since I've had a stocking, and now the only stocking we have is for our dog, Paddy.  His stocking is filled with a new tug toy, a deer antler, a beef jerky stick that is longer than he is, and some other doggie snacks.  


I started thinking about how different families fill stockings in such different ways.  My cousins always had oranges and nuts and sometime candy in their stockings, while ours were filled with practical gifts that we would need anyway, like razors, socks, eye makeup remover, maybe some hairspray (big hair WAS the 80s).  I always thought it was fun to see what my mom had come up with.  


When my brother had kids, the stockings became about them, and ours phased out.  I think there is an age limit on stockings in our family - maybe it's 21.  Both of my nieces are over that age now, so I bet there is no more stocking for them, but NEXT year we will have a little one in the family, and I can only imagine what her stocking will be filled with--baby socks, mittens, a stocking cap, maybe some pacifiers.    


Next year, Paddy won't be the only one in the family with a stocking.  Maybe mama will even make some for the entire family and start some new traditions!


So, what do you put in your stockings?  I'd really love to hear.